Dby-cleaningr and washing- machine



I A. B. MILLER. DRY CLEANING AND WASHING MACHINE.

APPLlCATlON FILED MAR. 28. 9K8.

Patented Aug. 19, 1919.

Z SHEETS 'SHEET 1' INVENTOR ANDREW B. MILLER. BY HIS ATTORNEY jfjfl.

A. B. MILLER.

DRY CLEANING AND WASHING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 28. 191B.

1 3 l 3 Q97 Patented Aug. 19, 1919.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

INVENTOR ANDREW B. MILLER BY HIS A TORNEY ANDREW B. MILLER, orBALDw'ImwIscoNsmQ DRY-CLEANING AND WASHING MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application file'd March 2a, 1918. Serial No. 225,154.]

15, which is provided with a handle 18 and,

fast working machine of such convertible construction that by slightadjustment of some of the parts the same one machine will Fig. 9 is asectional top view on the line 9'9in Fig. 7.

clean the clothes by gasolene and then extract the gasolene from theclothes, and when so desired the machine may be used as an ordinaryclothes washing machine. In the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 is a topview of the machine with the coveromitted. Fig. 2 is a section on the'line'2-2-in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is an enlarged section on the line 3-3 inFig. 1, showing the end of the frame 37 and theadjacent mechanismmounted therein. Fig.

4 is an inside view of the lower bearing .member 54 in Fig. 3. Fig.6 isa bottom end view of Fig. 4. Fig. 6 is .a detail view 'of the end of theframe 37 with the lower journal bearing and all mechanism omitted. Fig.'7 is a partly sectional front elevation of the machine and its coverwith the pounders in such positions as may best show their parts. Fig. 8is a bottom view of either one of the two pounders employed.

Fig. 10 is a bottom view of Fig. 9. I

Referrin to. the drawings'by reference numerals, designatesithe maintub. It is riveted at 2 to a bottom. 3,- which rests on legs 4 and isprovided with radial grooves 5 and a depression 6 having a pet-cock orvalve 7 through which to empty the gasolene out from the machine; Thetub is also provided with a cover 8 having a handle 9.

- Spaced within the tub 1 is a cylinder 10 having perforations 11 in itsbottom and in the lower portion of its wall. Said cylinder has itsbottom 1O fixed on acentral vertical shaft 12 whose lower endisjournaled in a ball-bearing 13 in the bottom of the tub, and the upperend is journaled in the leg of a T-shaped member 14, in whose upperportion and in bearings 16, 17 fixed onthe tub, is join-naled ahorizontal operating shaft a pulley 19 so 'it may be turned by either:hand power or a belt where' motive power is available.

Fixed on the shaft15 at 'aiwhi 20* SA' ENT OFFICE.-

Patented Aug. 19, 1e19 V near which is journaled on the shaft an arm 21having two studs 22,23. 7 On the latter stud is journaled a combinedgear wheel 24. and a small grooved friction pulley 25, Said pulley isadapted to engage frictionally the upper edge of the cylinder 10 androtate it slowly since the gear 24 is larger than gear 20 which drivesit by means of an idler gear 26 on stud 22.

ward by means of a spring 27 (see Fig. 2) so as to cause the frictionpulley 23 to en- '70 The arm 21 is normally impelled downgage and rotatethe cylinder, but such en-.

gagement may be put out of action by supporting the free end of the arm21 m a notch 28 of a support 29, which is pivoted at 30 to the tub andis idle whenleaning against a pin 31 fixed in the side ofthetub. 1

Slidably fitted on the shaft 15 and a featherkey 32 in same is a bevelgear havinga 3 set-screw 34 adapted to hold 1t either in mesh or out ofmesh with a bevel fixed on the vertical shaft12. I L

Fixed on the shaft 15 are also two mutipinion 35 lated gears 36, 36*,each of which has its toothed portion turned towardthe side of Q theshaft 15 where the untoothed portion of Q the other gear is directed.Detachably'journaled on the shaft 15 is a frame 37 having verticalchannel bearings 38, m which; are slidably fitted pounder bars 39havmgeach a rack 40 arranged to be engaged by the adjacent mutilatedgear, 36 or 36*. The lower end of each pounder bar is provided whosebottom isopen except for a spider 43 (see Fig. 8) which prevents theclothes" from getting sucked too far into the pounder with a pistonshaped pound'er 41, which is omovable up and down in a 'cyllnder. 42,

cylinder. The spider 43 is provided with a central upward stem 'or rod44'wh1ch steadies the cylinder by sliding in the tubu I lar lower partof'the pounder bar. v v

On each pounder'bar is secured a collar 45, above which is aspring 46adaptedto act as a cushion up under the frame 37 and below said collaris amuch longer spring 47, theffunction of which is to yieldmgly re s elind e2 ee en the clothes operated on.

The a n spasm with two apertures 48, through each of which extends fromthe piston 41 a light link rod 49, from the top of which extends a lightcontractible coil spring 50, having its upper end attached to an arm 51of the frame 37. p 1

In order to make the frame 37 readily detachable from the shaft 15 itsjournal bearings on-said shaft are each formed of an upper rigid halfbearing'or box 52 (see Figs. 3 and 6) and a lower half box 53. Thelatter is formed in the upper end of a heavy plate 54 having a recess 55fitting the edges 56 of the frame when the portion 53 fits the undersideof the shaft. In this position the member54 is held by a spring 57(shown in Fig. 7) placed upon a rod 58, which extends from the member 54through a slotted hole 59 in a post 60 onthe frame (see Figs. 6 and 7)and is provided with a washer 61 and pin 62 which hold the spring at alltimes partly compressed against the post 60. When the frame is to beremoved the bearing member 54 is pulled outward against the'resistanceof the spring 57 until it clears the frame, it is then lowered with itsrod or stud 58 down intothe lower end of the slot 59, and is then turnedat the stud ,to the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 3 whichallows the upper member 52 to be unhooked from theshaft, whereupon theframe 3738 and the pounders and their cylinders are all in one structurelifted out of'the main cylinder 10 so that clothes may be removed fromand others placed into said cylinder.

The middle of the frame is offset downwardly and formed into an upperand a lower bar; the upper bar 63 (see Figs. 7, 9 and 10) bears up underthe hub of the pinion 35 and has a rearward notch 64 fitting the frontside of the shaft 12; the lower bar,

65, is formed with a notch or hearing 66 also fitting the front half ofshaft 12, but upon this bar is pivoted at 67 a member 68 havin a notch69 bearing against the rear side 0 shaft 12. The free end of this memberor latch is provided with an embossment 70 within which is arranged aslidable looking pin 71, having a spring 72 tending to ho d it engagedin a cavity and 9) in the rigid bar 65. When the frame is to be removedfrom the machine this pin 71 is grasped by its head and raised and thebearing member 68 swings open for the vertical shaft to escape from theframe.

In the operation of the machine for drycleaning, the tub is filled abouthalf full of gasolene, the clothes placed in the cylinder 10, thepounders are placed upon them, the gear 33 moved out of mesh with thepinion 35. The support 29 is thrown out of contact with the arm or lever21. As the shaft 15 is then rotated the mutilated gears 36, 36 willengage the racks of the pounders and 73 (see Figs. 7'

' push them in alternate order down into the clothes in the gasolene,.and when each pounder cylinder 42 is sufliciently by the clothes tocompress the sprlng 47 the latter yields and lets the piston 41 descendin the cylinder and expel air from it into the clothes until the gearhas lost its engagement with the rack when the springs 50 will instantlyraise the piston and-pounder to normal position, where it remains untilthe toothed part of the gear en ages the rack again and repeats thestroke. s the pounder ascends and the piston is' being drawn up ward bythe springs 50 an agitating and cleansing suction takes place in theclothes until the pounder cylinder ets above the surface of the gasolenewhen 1t will instantly get filled with fresh air and thus ready forresisted the next downward plunge.- While this takes by the frictionpulley 25.

When the clothes have thus been cleanedthe cover 8 is removed, the boxor bearing members 54 and 68 thrown open, the arm 21 raised upon thesupport 29, the frame 37 and the pounders removed from the machine, thegear 33 put in mesh with the pinion 35, the cock 7 opened and the shaft15 rotated, the faster the better, so as to cause the centrifugal forceto extract the gasolene from the clothes, whereupon the clothes areremoved from the machine.

If the machine is to be used for common clothes washing the operationisthe same as that already described for dry-cleaning,

sene may be used.

What I clalm is:

stationary cylindrical tub,'a skeleton tub r0 tatably mounted in themiddle thereof and having a vertical shaft, a horizontal; drive shaftjournaled across the top of the stationary tub and having operativeconnection with the shaft of the skeleton tub to rotate it, a framedetachably 'journaled on both of said shafts, 'two pounders arranged towork in the skeleton tub and having each a vertical rod slidable in theframe and at one side provided with a rack, two reversely arrangedmutilated gears fixed shaft and arranged to engage and push downwardlysaid racks in alternate order, and springs arranged to raise thepounders whenever the toothed portions of the gears are turned away fromthe racks;

2. In a machine of the class described, a stationary tub, a suitableframe therein, arotary tub mounted centrally within the stationary tuboutside'said frame, two poundwith the'exception that instead of,gasolene' water and soap, and if so desired some keroon the drive ersarranged to operate in the rotary tub,

each of said drical hollow and a piston pounders comprising a cylinbodywith an apertured top, movable in the cylinder and havinga pounder rodextending upwardly through the apertured top and mto the frame, adrive-shaft journaled across the stationary tub and in the frame andprovided with means for driving the pounders alternately downward andthere releasing them; two springs attached to each piston and to theframe and extendin through the apertures in the head of the cy inderpart .of the ounder, to raise the piston and cylinder to t e upperposition of each stroke.

3. ha machine of the class described, a vertical shaft and a horizontaldrive shaft geared thereto, a frame detachably j ournaled on the twoshafts, two ounders having each a rack-shaped rod sli ably guided in theframe. and the lower end provided with a giston', two mutilated gearsfixed on the rive shaft and arranged to push the racks piston and havingin its top two apertures, two pulling coil springs connected with thepiston through said apertures and having short cushion coil spring onthe rod close above the collar so as to contact with the' frame, andstop the upward stroke of the entire ounder with the least possiblenoise.

4. T e structure specified in claim 3,'said cylindrical pounder membershaving each in its open bottom end a spider, and a vertical central rodfixed in the s ider and slidably inserted in the pistonrro the latterbeing for that purpose tubular at least as far as said spider rod entersinto it. downward in alternate order, a downwardly opencylindricalmember fittedabout each- In testimony whereof I aflix my si ature.

ANDREW B. ER.

